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This led to a split in the polar vortex, a cold area of air above the Arctic, which has since smashed into Europe and that plunged the UK into freezing temperatures.

Speaking to Sky News, Dr Laura Wilcox said that an unusual weather incident unfolded over a 24-hour period in February, around Valentines Day.

She said: "Cold temperatures warmed up two weeks ago suddenly. We tend to see sudden stratospheric warming every couple of years or so, but this is what we call a major warming, which are less frequent.”